Bongani Sibusiso Mchunu

By Bongani Sibusiso Mchunu

The findings of a small-scale qualitative study of school leadership responses to the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) school environment performed among secondary schools in the Mpumalanga Circuit are presented in this paper. The article looks at how principals were responding to the pandemic’s disruptive effects and how they were planning to mitigate the effects on school operations. It employed qualitative, multiple case-study approaches to collect data from to secondary sample schools in Mpumalanga Circuit, using 10 principals as respondents. The findings illustrate how principals dealt with the issues posed by the implementation of the social distance and COVID-19 regulations in a VUCA-oriented school environment. Teacher leave applications contributed to the intricacy, with unexpected results such as teacher shortages and subjects not being taught. Despite these challenges, the principals were able to achieve their goals.

Part of the book: Psychosocial, Educational, and Economic Impacts of COVID-19

By Bongani Sibusiso Mchunu, Mzomuhle Justice Zondi and Wilson Myboy Nzimande

The chapter reports on the findings of a small-scale mixed-method study conducted amongst thirty sampled school principals. In the study, the principals share their challenges and achievements in implementing COVID-19 responsive policies in a turbulent school environment threatened by the pandemic. We sought to understand the experiences of principals in managing the implementation of policies necessary to make situational analyses in navigating the unstable academic year. We used the concepts of geographies of place and situational leadership to understand first, how principals managed to implement the national and provincial policies to ensure learners share available learning space without physical contact. Second, it was to understand the implementation of curriculum recovery programmes meant to mitigate against lost teaching time. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to generate data to answer research questions that underpinned the study. The findings suggest that principals faced challenges in implementing the policies in areas of phasing in all grades, ensuring continuity of teaching and learning due to intermittent outbreaks of COVID-19 infections. This resulted in the loss of schooling time because of temporary closures of schools and the absence of teachers which impacted negatively on curriculum delivery.

Part of the book: Higher Education